Passing the torch
Mr. Wilson, a canine grief counselor, is retiring, but he’s not shy
When Deb Chebatoris adopted a miniature schnauzer 13 years ago, she got more than she bargained for. She was simply looking for a pet, but she ended up with a business partner.
Mr. Wilson was 3 years old when Ms. Chebatoris adopted him in May 2005. Just four months earlier, she had started a new business, Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation in Bridgeville. Because he had been abandoned in an apartment complex with four other dogs, she didn’t want to leave him home alone when she went to work. Besides, she was happy to have his company.
So, Mr. Wilson went to work every day. The plan was for him to hang out in the back. But when people spotted the cute little white dog, most wanted to pet and hug him, and he enjoyed the attention and kindness of strangers.
Then the personable dog took his “job” to another level.
“He is a wonderful, empathetic dog,” Ms. Chebatoris said. “He can go up to people and decide what they need” in the way of comfort. Helping to ease the sorrow of people whose pets had died, Mr. Wilson “offered the unspoken understanding and unconditional love only an animal can offer,” she said.
Now after nearly 13 years on the job, Mr. Wilson is ready to retire.
“He has been my business partner from the beginning, so he has to have a retirement party,” Ms. Chebatoris said.
The party, which is free, will be from 3-5 p.m. Sunday at LaBella Bean Coffee House & Eatery, 609 Washington Ave. No. 2, Bridgeville (15017).
“He retires on his last day of being 15 years old and will celebrate his 16th birthday quietly on Jan. 22,” Ms. Chebatoris said. “For his age he’s in really great shape.”
His vision and hearing are OK, and he doesn’t have any apparent joint pain.
“He is eating and he is happy, but he has been losing muscle mass and has lost several pounds,” Ms. Chebatoris said.
So she thinks it’s time for him to retire and relax. Her other miniature schnauzer, Colby, 10, will pick up some of the slack.
“Colby comes here every day, but he operates in a completely different way,” she said. “Colby is not empathetic at all. He just likes people and loves the attention they give him. Wilson is better.”
Mr. Wilson will continue to come to the office “because I don’t want him to feel bad,” she said. He’ll stay in the back of the shop while Colby will work in the office that is set up as a cozy living room. If customers who know Mr. Wilson want to see him, he will be available for a visit.
Colby, adopted at 8 months old, has the traditional black and gray schnauzer markings. Mr. Wilson, with his feathery chin whiskers and bushy eyebrows, looks like a Mister. The people who rescued him called him Mr. Wilson, and Ms. Chebatoris kept the name. She suspects he might be named after the volleyball that actor Tom Hanks hung out with in the 2000 movie “Cast Away.”
Ms. Chebatoris, a certified public accountant who formerly worked in health care, enjoys her job. “I’ve heard thousands of love stories that people tell me about pets whose lives were well-lived.”
The crematorium is on site, at 442 Washington Ave., Bridgeville. The cost of cremation starts at $150. She will go to the veterinarian’s office or to the home of a client to pick up a deceased pet. The smallest pet she has ever cremated was a fire belly newt the size of a quarter.
In the living room, some of the 350 available urns are on display. The cost starts at $20 and ranges up to $3,000 for the one that held the cremains of two toy poodles. Pet owners are welcome to use theirown containers.
Cremation arrangements are made by appointment by calling 412-220-7800. Her website, www.ccpc.ws, has a wealth of information.